Parole board mulls early release for man convicted of killing infant

The CNMI Board of Parole is now deliberating whether or not to grant early release for a man who is currently serving a 60-year sentence after being convicted of killing a 6-month-old infant back in 2000.

The Board of Parole is set to decide this Friday whether to grant or deny Reynaldo Manila’s application for parole.

During a hearing yesterday, board chair Ramon Camacho raised a concern whether Manila is remorseful. Manila said he does feel remorse but insists he does not know what happened and did not intend to kill the child, and was merely trying to revive her by shaking her after she fell from a bed.

Manila said that he found God in his 20 years in prison and that he deserves a second chance to show that he has repented.

However, the mother, father, and sister of the infant all contested Manila’s claims, saying that up until today, Manila has never reached out to them to ask for forgiveness.

According to the mother, Manila was a good family friend, so close that they were family once, but Manila has never reached out to her to ask for forgiveness for the death of their daughter or to even check up on them since their daughter passed away.

The mother begged the board to deny parole for Manila, saying that, although it can never bring back their child, it gives their family peace of mind that justice is being served and that Manila won’t do what he did to their child to another child.

The father said that up to this day, their family lives with the loss of their firstborn and, although they have forgiven Manila with a heavy heart, they still want justice to be served and justice can only be served if Manila continues to serve his sentence.

The infant’s younger sister also stood before of the Board of Parole in tears, stating that she fears Manila and what he was able to do to an infant. She added that their family has been through so much, living the loss of her sister everyday, and Manila has never once tried to put himself in her parent’s shoes to reach out and ask for forgiveness.

Manila did not seek forgiveness from the victim’s family during yesterday’s hearing.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, OAG Chief Prosecutor John Bradley also opposes the grant of parole to Manila because of the seriousness of the crime.

“Manila took the life of an infant and has never accepted responsibility for his actions. He should not be released into the CNMI community. Should parole be granted…Manila [must] be deported,” Bradley said.

He argues that Manila does not accept responsibility for his crime and continues to deny that he caused the death of the child. “He says he is a ‘victim of justice.’ He still claims that the baby simply fell, which was not consistent with the medical evidence. The infant had bleeding in the brain and retinal hemorrhaging, consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome,” Bradley said.